Chu Yi followed He Zhan to the Lake Province Special Affairs Branch the next day.
The person in charge of the branch was named Li Sheng, a middle-aged man in his forties with an unremarkable appearance.
However, his efficiency far exceeded his looks. With just a few phone calls, he had summoned Lu Shirong, who had previously been uncooperative. Accompanying him was a young man living in the Lu Family named Xiao Yongzhe.
“What is he doing here?” He Zhan frowned as soon as he saw Xiao Yongzhe.
Li Sheng smiled. “Mr. He will find out soon enough.”
Li Sheng led them to the observation room next to the interrogation room, separated by a one-way glass mirror, where they could watch the entire questioning process.
As soon as Li Sheng sat down, he opened the file and laid out the evidence one by one in front of the two men. With a mild yet pressuring tone, he said, “Mr. Xiao, these are the chat records of you hiring people to intimidate Mr. He, accompanied by transfer records. This is your internet search history with keywords, and these are surveillance photos of you tampering with his dashcam. Do you have any explanation for this?”
Xiao Yongzhe was clearly not the reserved type. From the moment Li Sheng presented the first piece of evidence, his pupils dilated abruptly, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead involuntarily.
Lu Shirong’s reaction was more intriguing. He had started with a cold, superior expression, arms crossed, but upon seeing the evidence of Xiao Yongzhe’s actions, he slowly uncrossed his arms and glanced sideways several times.
“Little Zhe, were these things done by you?” Lu Shirong furrowed his brows tightly and asked.
“What does he mean? Is he trying to pin everything on Xiao Yongzhe?” He Zhan said angrily upon seeing this.
This Xiao Yongzhe was supposedly the son of one of Lu Shirong’s mistresses. Because he was good at currying favor with Lu Shirong, he had always lived in the Lu Family. Whatever Lu Shirong asked him to do, he definitely wouldn’t dare refuse.
Chu Yi gave him a sidelong glance. “Stay calm.”
With Chu Yi’s keen eyes, he felt Lu Shirong’s surprise seemed a bit feigned. Genuine surprise wouldn’t last more than a breath, but Lu Shirong’s had dragged on for two to three seconds.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yongzhe’s guilt and fear were very real, evidenced by his suddenly pallid face and the legs that he couldn’t control from wanting to flee.
Chu Yi thought for a moment and asked, “Do you have any grudge against this Xiao Yongzhe?”
He Zhan hesitated, then reluctantly said, “…He, he probably likes Lu Changzhou.”
Others in the Lu Family might not know, but as Lu Changzhou’s boyfriend, He Zhan had felt it very clearly. Xiao Yongzhe had harbored hostility toward him from the first time they met.
Chu Yi nodded. That explained it.
Sure enough, under the dual pressure from Lu Shirong and Li Sheng, Xiao Yongzhe soon admitted to hiring people to intimidate He Zhan, but he firmly denied hiring killers.
The entire interrogation lasted over an hour. Li Sheng’s mouth was nearly dry from talking. Taking a break, he came out to Chu Yi and He Zhan. “This is tricky. Lu Shirong still won’t admit it, and we don’t have more evidence.”
In Li Sheng’s view, the man either had excellent acting skills or truly wasn’t involved. He had a innate peculiar ability to break through others’ psychological defenses with his harmless appearance and easily persuade people.
Given how airtight Lu Shirong’s performance was, Li Sheng leaned toward the latter.
“What did that killer say?”
At the mention of the killer, Li Sheng’s expression darkened further. “He won’t talk.”
Not only did he refuse to speak, he had attempted suicide several times. If not for Chu Yi’s special instructions and the Special Affairs Office’s stringent supervision, he might have succeeded.
Chu Yi’s gaze sharpened briefly before he lifted it. “Have someone bring him here. I want to question him in front of Lu Shirong.”
He then borrowed Yellow Talisman Paper, cinnabar, and other materials for crafting from Li Sheng, who wanted to see what he would do and agreed without hesitation.
The killer was soon brought in, shackled at the hands and feet with a muzzle on, escorted into the interrogation room. Xiao Yongzhe, unaccustomed to such a scene, jumped up from his chair and shrank into the corner.
Lu Shirong, having seen big scenes, remained much calmer, but mindful of his status, he stood and avoided the killer, asking coldly, “What is this?”
Li Sheng had the killer shackled to the chair they had just occupied and smiled faintly. “To be honest, this is the assassin who targeted He Zhan.”
Lu Shirong snorted coldly. “I said I didn’t hire anyone to kill him, and I didn’t. He’s just a little celebrity. Do I need to make such a big fuss?”
He Zhan, who had entered from outside, heard this and flushed with anger. “Who was it back then who threatened that if I didn’t leave his son, he would have me killed? Or did I remember wrong, Uncle Lu!”
Li Sheng remained unmoved. “Whether he did or not, we’ll ask him and find out.”
